New Orleans Saints top 25 countdown, Darren Sproles, No. 4

CHRIS GRANGER / THE TIMES-PICAYUNENew Orleans Saints running back Darren Sproles (43) breaks away from San Francisco 49ers free safety Dashon Goldson (38) for a TD late in the forth quarter during a NFC playoff game at Candlestick Park in San Francisco on Saturday, January 14, 2012.

Borrowing the popular idea from the NFL Network, our New Orleans Saints coverage team came up with our ranking of the top 25 players on the Saints' roster heading into the 2012 season. The idea is to make these rankings as current as possible - essentially deciding who would be the best players on the field if they lined up for a game today. Therefore, past accomplishments and potential are both factored in.

Obviously, that led to some tough decisions, and obviously that will lead to plenty of second guessing. And we'd love to hear it. Feel free to add your comments below as we unveil the list daily leading up to the start of training camp.

Sproles' 2011 performance was so remarkable, it was ridiculous. Everyone in the Who Dat Nation was excited when the Saints signed the dynamic tailback last summer, and many even predicted that he would be an upgrade over former all-purpose back Reggie Bush. Yet somehow, Sproles still managed to exceed all expectations.

He set the NFL record for all-purpose yards in a single season with 2,696. He was the only player in the NFL last season to score touchdowns on a rush, a reception and a punt return, and he was outstanding in all three of those areas. The biggest revelation was how explosive he was when he lined up as a "traditional" tailback. Sproles led the Saints with 603 rushing yards on just 87 carries. And his 6.9 yards per carry led all NFL tailbacks with at least 25 carries last season.

Defenses may be more prepared for Sproles now that they know just how dangerous he is in this offense. But good luck. With his emergence and the emergence of tight end Jimmy Graham, the Saints' offense is deeper and more diverse than ever.

SAINTS LB CURTIS LOFTON'S TAKE:

"He's one of those backs that does everything really well. And he has great hands. So you don't know what you're going to get with him. He's like a jackal. So he can be in the backfield and run the ball. Then they can split him out and he's just as good as any receiver. So he's kind of a mismatch for many linebackers and even some safeties. ...

"Last year when I was in Atlanta and found out he came here, we were like, 'Man.' Because like I said, he can run in between the tackles, he can run outside. And I can't remember the name of the back they had here before (Reggie Bush). But we knew when he was in the game everything was going to be outside. But with Sproles it could be inside, outside, catch it."